Draft:Johnny Crowder

Johnny Crowder is an American musician and public speaker. He is best known for being the vocalist of the bands Dark Sermon and Prison, and for founding Cope Notes, a telehealth-based mental health service.

Early life and education
Crowder grew up near Oldsmar, Florida, attending Lowry Elementary, Farnell Middle and Hillsborough High schools. He would go on to earn an associate's degree in psychology from the University of Central Florida.

Musical career
In March 2009, Crowder and the other members of the band founded In Reference to a Sinking Ship in Palm Harbor, Florida. The band released their first EP in 2010, Aimless, before changing their name to Dark Sermon in 2012. Dark Sermon would be signed to multiple labels (Good Fight Entertainment, eOne Music, Nuclear Blast Records) and release two full-length albums (In Tongues, The Oracle) before the band's indefinite hiatus in 2017.

Once the group's hiatus began, Prison became Crowder's main musical project. Prison was initially formed in 2014 and is made up of former members of Dark Sermon (Crowder), Adaliah, and ABACABB/In Alcatraz 1962. Their album, Still Alive, would track on Billboard's Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts for one week each.

Mental health advocacy
Crowder is a mental health advocate and speaker for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. He was previously diagnosed with depression, anxiety, OCD, schizophrenia, and PTSD, later using those experiences to become a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist (CRPS).

Cope Notes
After attending college, Crowder initially created an in-person support group. That group transitioned into a virtual support group with a majority of attendees opting in to the SMS option, influencing him to create a mental health-based texting service.

Crowder founded Cope Notes in 2018. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the company "sends subscribers positive thoughts and affirmations to help combat depression and anxiety". The content is sent via text message at least once per day, at random times. According to the company's FAQ, each message is "reviewed, edited and approved by a panel of mental health professionals".

As of January 2022, Cope Notes has more than 21,000 users across 96 countries. The company won the People's Choice award at the Startup of the Year summit in 2022.

Studies
In May 2022, a study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research where researchers found subscribers to the service "appreciate the service for reframing their mental wellness with statistically significant correlations between personality and acceptability of the service", while other subjects "prefer a more personalized experience".

In March 2023, a study was published in the Journal of Mental Health where researchers found that "participants with severe depression experienced a significant decrease in anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as perceived stress" and "showed a significant increase in emotional intelligence" after using Cope Notes for 1 month. The study's participants consisted of 64 people, a majority of whom were white women and students attending the University of South Florida.

Public speaking
In 2020, Crowder gave a TEDx Talk titled “How to Grow as a Person (And Why It Sucks)”. He spoke at another TEDx Talk, giving a speech titled "Why I Don’t Want to Die Anymore.”

Personal life
Crowder is a Christian. In 2021, he was recognized by Forbes, appearing on their "Next 1000" list. The list highlighted upcoming entrepreneurs within the United States with businesses under $10 million in funding or generated revenue.